Ranger Reinstated
by Lisababe 1
Summary: Ranger steps up to the plate.
1. Chapter 1

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WARNING: I've read an advanced copy of Fearless Fourteen this fic contains a slight spoiler. Be warned!

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**Ranger Reinstated**

By Lisa

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**_"One Ranger is all you'll ever need." Twelve Sharp _**

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I snuggled into Joe's chest inhaling the scent of his freshly laundered t-shirt. It had reached the perfect age, soft to the touch and so comfortable you smiled every time it appeared clean in the drawer. I sighed as Joe trailed his fingertips lightly across my back. I heard an irritating beeping noise, and started to ask Joe what it was when he swore and gently moved out from under me. I slowly opened my eyes and saw him glancing at his pager on the coffee table.

"Shit, I'm not even on call this can't be good."

I rolled over on my back as the post coital bliss of our latest sexual escapade faded. I heard Joe talking on his cell, and felt Bob nudging my hand signaling me that a doggy tinkle was in my near future. I pulled myself off the couch and searched for my shoes. I found one under the TV and the other on the stairway. I shoved my foot in one and my bare toes met a wet glob of Bob saliva.

Great.

From the looks of the teeth, marks imbedded in the leather swoosh on the side; Bob had managed to chew the air out of my Nike Shocks. I shot a dirty look at him and his tail wagged even harder- doggy denial. I walked in the kitchen and grabbed his leash off the hook near the back door. Joe snapped his phone closed and looked at me.

"Gang bang homicide, four dead on the west side. This will be an all nighter."

"Lucky you."

He walked over to me and pulled me in for a quick kiss. "Lock up after you walk him, you staying here tonight?"

My hands wondered of their own free will to his ass and I gave him a squeeze. "I'll be here officer." He smiled and gave me a lingering kiss that promised early morning make up sex. Something to look forward to.

I pulled away and clipped the leash on Bob, we headed out the back door and Joe followed. I finger waved as Bob drug me down the street. Joe climbed in his SUV, and I sighed as he backed out of the driveway. I watched his tail lights disappear in the night.

Bob walked me two and half blocks doing his business like a doggy bandit in the night, leaving illegal deposits in his wake. Twenty minutes later, we were home. I took off his leash and gave him a bacon treat from the doggy cookie jar on the counter. He swallowed it whole and wagged his tail expecting another. Who was I to deprive a dog of his just dessert? I gave him two more treats, shook my head, and pointed at the couch when he whined for another. He trotted in the living room and climbed up on the couch. I turned to lock the back door and nearly jumped out of my skin when the doorknob twisted in my hand. I looked up and my eyes met Ranger's through the glass. I pulled open the door and looked at him in question.

"Babe."

"Ranger what are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood."

"Okay…"

"Can I come in?"

I stepped aside and he walked into the kitchen. Bob jumped off the couch and ran over to him. He nudged his nose into Ranger's hand until he pet him.

"Did Joe get called out on a case?"

"Yeah how did you know?"

"I saw him leave earlier."

I stared at him in disbelief. "What the fuck?"

He stared back at me, his blank mask firmly in place.

"I followed you here earlier from the bonds office."

I felt my heart beating in my throat as I recalled the scene in the alley earlier between Joe and me. I didn't know if I should scream or hurl.

"What were you doing at the bonds office?" I whispered.

"Nothing nearly as exciting as you."

I pulled my eyes away from his and walked into the living room. I felt a rhino moment coming on and I thought it best if I tried to walk it off. Rhino and Ranger didn't mix.

But rhino threw caution to the wind and I turned on him. "What is this really about?"

"You deserve more than an eight minute fuck in an alley."

I felt as if I had the breath knocked out of me. I didn't know if I should be pissed or embarrassed. I decided more rhino was in order.

"You've gave me the impression many times that you would like nothing better than to do the same in that alley. What's the matter did it piss you off that Joe did it first?"

I saw a muscle twitch in his jaw. Direct hit and score. He slowly walked toward me and I backed away not trusting the carnal look in his eyes. He backed me against the wall and trapped me placing both of his hands on the wall above my head.

He looked into my eyes, and I swallowed. I could feel his breath on my face and see the pulse beating in his neck. He was angry, and I was approaching scared.

"Do you ever think about me when he's fucking you?"

The flush started at my neck and spread upward. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Tell me you don't think about that night?"

A lump formed in my throat and it was becoming hard to breathe.

"Mostly I think about the next morning when you walked away."

"I thought it was best for you at the time."

"Are you here to make a point?" I hissed.

He molded his lower body to mine and stroked a fingertip across my nipple. One simple touch set my entire body on fire. It made me angry that I had so little self-control.

"My point is that you've changed."

"How so?" I squeaked out.

"You tell me Stephanie. Every time I make an advance, you cut me off at the knees. Yet you question what it is I want."

"I don't want anything from you."

"I get that impression, I also get that you are becoming a lot more serious with Morelli."

"I'm happy with Joe."

He stared into my eyes until I looked away. I felt his fingertips pull my chin around so I was looking at him once again.

"Babe tell me what you want."

"To be happy."

He eyes glanced around the room. "And being here with him makes you happy?"

I nodded feeling tears gather in the corners of my eyes.

"Be honest with yourself and tell me what you want. Not what Morelli wants, your mom wants, or the burg wants. Tell me what you want."

I felt the lump in my throat expand until it ached as if my heart was breaking. I couldn't cry in front of him, I wouldn't let myself.

"I used to think I wanted you, but I got tired of wanting you to want me the same way."

"I think we want each other in the most important way."

"I've been there and done that and you walked away."

He glanced around the room once again. "I'll never give you this kind of life. I won't produce a row house and a picket fence for you. Never."

"Then what can you give me?"

"Something better. Something I've never given anyone before you."

"And that would be?" I asked.

"Me."

If his body weren't pinning mine to the wall my knees would have buckled. A lone tear escaped and ran down my cheek. He reached up and brushed it away with his thumb.

"Why now, why not before?"

"Because I feel you pulling away, and I promised myself that I would say something before I watch you marry him."

I closed my eyes as the emotion and heartache settled deep in my chest. How many times had I longed for this conversation? Wished for these words to come from his lips. I wanted to slap him and kiss him all at the same time, but all I could see was Joe's face. How would this be fair to him? How could I justify walking away because Ranger was having a moment of clarity? And who knew if he would feel the same way tomorrow? Joe was my constant Ranger was the long shot.

I slowly opened my eyes as he pushed away from me. He stepped away and leaned against the doorway to the kitchen.

"What do you expect me to do Ranger, pack my shit and just walk away from Joe?"

"I expect you to do what you want to do."

"You want me to make a choice?"

"I want you to think ahead five years and ask yourself is this really where you want to be."

"You wait until everything is great between Joe and me and then you drop a bomb like this, how is that fair?"

"I've been known to play dirty."

"I can't do this."

"Or won't." He said.

He walked over to me and leaned in close. He brushed his lips across mine and pulled away.

"When he gets in bed with you in the morning it won't be the same, he's never going to be me."

He placed his hands on each side of my head and I closed my eyes. I felt him lightly kiss my eyes my nose and then my mouth. He teased my lips with his tongue seeking entrance. I slowly opened my mouth and moaned as he brushed his tongue against mine. His mouth claimed mine and we poured every emotion we felt into that kiss.

He pulled away, his breath ragged, and looked at me. "You know where to find me."

He turned and walked out the back door. My knees gave way and I slowly sank to the floor.

I let out a scream and let the tears go.


	2. Chapter 2

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**Ranger Reinstated**

**Chapter 2**

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I still remember the set of coordinates for the enemy camp on my first mission as a Ranger. I know how many employees I have, and the exact balance on my checking account. I can recall identifying characteristics for every mark I've ever taken out. Blindfold me, drop me in a jungle, and I'll find my way out, but I can't remember the moment she became the most important person in my life.

I stared out the window at the dark street below, wondering why I confronted her. What made yesterday different from any other fucked up day in my life? I closed my eyes and relived the visual of her and Morelli in the alley. His hands on her, and her head tipped back with a look of ecstasy on her face that only I deserved to evoke. I scrubbed my face with both hands trying to erase the visual images that continued to replay in mind like a bad train wreck.

What gave me the right to push the "us" issue?

How many times had she tried to confront me in the past about my feelings? How many excuses had I construed followed by sexual innuendos designed to keep her off guard, and always wondering? The bottom line would always remain the same.

I didn't deserve her, and she certainly didn't deserve the life of heartache that I would provide.

I wanted her because I didn't want him to have her. Why did I give her the impression that something had changed, when all that fueled me was a peep show of a fuck in an alley. She had made a valid point. Why should it bother me when that alley conjured the same desires for me?

Because for once I wasn't imaging him fucking her, it was real.

I hard a soft tap on the door to my office and I slowly turned and saw her enter my office. If one of my men had entered without my consent I would have taken their head off, but she was different. When I looked at her, I often wondered what I found so special in her. I had beautiful woman walk in and out of my life too many times to remember. Stephanie was far from being a cover model, but to me, she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Babe."

She walked halfway across the office and stopped near my desk. She looked at me as if she was about to impart a national security breach.

"I need to talk to you." She said softly.

I nodded toward a leather club chair in front of my desk. "Have a seat." I started around toward my desk chair when I heard her squeak of a reply.

"I don't want to sit down."

I stopped at the corner of my desk and looked at her. "Okay."

I walked over and stopped in front of her. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was tortured, and my gut ached because I was the cause.

"Tell me that you came to me last night because you really care about me, and not because you saw Joe and me in the alley."

So how was I going to play this? Was I going to be a man and put it all out there, or was I going to forfeit the game?

"You know I care for you, but I'm not going to force you to change your mind when you already know what you need in your life." Why make myself look pathetic?

"So you didn't mean anything you said to me last night, you were basically fucking with me?" She wrapped her fingernails on the desk in a staccato fashion, probably mimicking what she would like to do with a tire iron to my head.

"I meant every word. I don't waste energy unnecessarily." I replied.

"So if I leave Joe what happens in a month when you decide I'm smothering you?" She dangled the question like a fishing lure devised to pull me in hook, line, and sinker. What she didn't know is that where she was concerned I wanted to be the catch of the day.

"I don't take you for the smothering type." I said.

"I'm not, much of the time I'm just the opposite. But you need to convince me that this is about us and not about Joe and me."

"If I have to convince you of my intentions then we are wasting our time." I stepped closer to her and trailed a fingertip down her cheek. When all else fails- mesmerize.

I looked into her eyes until she finally flushed and looked away. "What's the matter Babe, don't you trust me?"

"I don't trust the longevity of a relationship between us."

I placed my fingers on her chin and pulled her eyes back to mine. "And you totally trust a relationship with Joe?" I asked.

"Ranger there are no guarantees in life."

"It's all about the risks you are willing to take." I said. I brushed the pad of my thumb across her lower lip. Then stepped away.

"Convince me that this is not about what you saw last night." The pleading look in her eyes made me feel like the lowest man on earth.

"It was what made me decide to confront you."

"That's not good enough." She said.

"Good enough for what?" I asked.

"I've given you a million opportunities to express an interest in something more between us, and seeing me with another man is what finally pushed you to say something?" She placed her hands on her hips. She was winding up for the throw.

"I've seen you and Morelli grow closer over the last few months."

"You always said us being together wouldn't be good for either of us."

I turned away from her and walked over to the window. "I'll never offer you a conventional life. But I never see you adapting to a picket fence and a mini van."

I could almost feel her shudder from across the room. "Joe has always been a constant to me, and you have always been a long shot."

I braced my hands on the window casing and stared at the street below. "It's your decision Stephanie."

"What exactly are you offering me?" She asked.

I turned and looked at her. "Something that you will never find with him."

"You are so frustratingly vague."

"And you want someone to promise you something that they will never be able to deliver." I said.

"That's not true. I just need a guarantee of a committed relationship."

"I haven't wanted another woman since you walked into my life. I don't see that changing."

"But is that enough for us?"

"That is something you'll have to decide." I answered.

"Why now, when everything is perfect between me and Joe?"

"If it's so perfect why are you here?" I asked.

I watched across the room as the anger in her eyes simmered to a slow boil.

"I don't have to explain my feelings for Joe to you."

"I didn't ask…"

"DON'T do this." She shoved her hair behind her ear and turned away. She walked toward the door and grabbed the door handle.

"If you leave this is the last time we will discuss this." I said.

I took a deep breath as her fingers slid off the handle. Then she grabbed it with determination and walked out.

I never expected to be the only man in her life, but finding out that I never would, felt far worse than I ever imagined.


	3. Chapter 3

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Ranger Reinstated

Chapter 3

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By :Lisababe

"Why now, when everything is perfect between me and Joe?"

"If it's so perfect why are you here?" I asked.

I watched across the room as the anger in her eyes simmered to a slow boil.

"I don't have to explain my feelings for Joe to you."

"I didn't ask…"

"DON'T do this." She shoved her hair behind her ear and turned away. She walked toward the door and grabbed the door handle.

"If you leave this is the last time we will discuss this." I said.

I took a deep breath as her fingers slid off the handle. Then she grabbed it with determination and walked out.

I never expected to be the only man in her life, but finding out that I never would, felt far worse than I ever imagined.

~*~

I parked next to the curb and killed the engine. The flashing neon sign on the roof of the bar illuminated the night, promising ice-cold spirits for all who entered. I fished in my bag for money and an ID. I shoved them in the pocket of my skirt and slid out of the car. I knew this would come back to bite me in the ass, but at the moment, this was the only way to silence the million questions racing through my head. The bar was on the east side of town. It was out of the way, and far from being a family establishment. It was a perfect place to become oblivious. I nodded to the guy behind the bar as I slid on a stool. He approached me, and I couldn't keep my eyes from focusing on the homemade tattoo that spelled out HATE across his fingers . I glanced at his eyes and they were surprisingly animated.

"What can I get for you pretty lady?"

I smiled. "A Corona."

He turned to a cooler behind him and pulled out an ice-cold bottle. I watched as he screwed off the top and pushed a lime wedge into the neck. He placed it on the bar in front of me, and I pushed the lime into the beer and took a long pull. My eyes closed involuntarily as the burst of flavor slid over my tongue. Before I met him, I drank Bud Light. I wish that my taste in beer was the only thing that he had influenced. I sighed and stared at the bowl of pretzels the bartender shoved in front of me. I smiled and shook my head.

"Not hungry?" He asked.

"No, just thirsty."

"I've never seen you here before, you lost?" He asked.

I smiled. "Not at the moment, but ask me again in a couple of hours."

"Drowning your troubles never works. You'll wake up in the morning, and they'll be staring at you in the mirror."

"I'll worry about that tomorrow." I said.

"Another fan of the Scarlet O'Hara school of reasoning." He replied.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"I know what you're thinking. How does a badass like me know who the fuck Scarlet O' Hara is?"

I grinned.

"Let's just say at one time I had a lot of mandatory time on my hands . Watching chick flicks was a form of entertainment."

"So what's your favorite chick flick?" I asked.

He wiped the spotless bar in front of me with a rag. "It's a toss up between How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, and PS. I Love You."

"Great flicks." I commented.

"I wouldn't go that far, but they passed the time."

I took the last drink of my beer and shoved it toward him. "Can you get me another please?"

He smiled. "Sure, that's what I do."

He placed another Corona in front of me, and sauntered down the bar to wait on another customer. I heard my cell phone buzz and pulled it out of my pocket. I read Joe's number on the display and turned off the power. I wasn't ready to go there, and at the rate I was going, I would never be ready to go there. The bartender appeared in front of me again.

"I make it my job to read people, and something is definitely bothering you." He said.

"I really appreciate the concerned bartender routine, but I would rather drown my problems in peace." I gave him the burg girl evil eye.

"I get the message loud and clear." He turned away and pulled a case of beer out from under the bar. I watched as he filled the cooler with more beer and ice. It reminded me of the last RangeMan picnic. Lester Santos had filled the bed of his truck with ice and beer. After a touch football game went bad, I ended up sitting on the tailgate with my sprained ankle stuck in the ice. Ranger drove me home and carried me upstairs to my apartment. He helped me take a shower, and even though I wanted him to be a little bad, he was a gentleman. Ella had brought me meals for an entire week. He always took care of me, but he had to wait until it was too late to say what he really wanted. I rubbed my eyes fighting back the stupid tears.

"Hey, whoever he is, he's not worth it." I opened my eyes and the bartender stood in front of me.

"What's your name?" I asked.

He smiled. "Frank." I reached across the bar and he shook my hand. "Stephanie."

"Nice to meet you Stephanie."

"Frank, you have a girlfriend?" I asked.

"Hell no, I fucked that up a long time ago."

"What happened?"

"I got sent off to the pen. It puts a damper on a relationship."

"So she didn't stand by you?" I asked.

"Hell no. She rolled under the first guy she could."

"That sucks."

"She was a stupid whore anyway." He grinned.

"So how did the stupid fucker mess up?" He asked.

"He waited too late to tell me he cares."

"Too late for what?" He asked.

I sighed and pushed my hair away from my face. "He saw me with the guy I'm dating, in a compromising position. Then he decides it's time to tell me he wants something between us."

"Let me get this straight. He sees you fucking some other guy and he decides he wants to be the only one tapping you?"

"That's a rather crude way of putting it, but yeah." I said.

"Sometimes it takes an eye opener to have it all make sense." He said.

"And you're speaking from experience?" I asked.

"Sometimes it takes a dose of reality to make you see how bad you're fucking up."

I shoved the empty Corona toward him and he reached in the cooler and replaced it with another one. I took a long pull and placed the bottle on the bar.

"Don't you think it's pathetic that he couldn't tell me for another reason?" I asked.

"I don't see a ring on your finger. As I see it, you're fair game. What would you rather him do, tell you after you marry the other guy, or never tell you at all?"

"Things are really good with the other guy, it just isn't fair." I said.

"Stephanie, you have a problem most women have."

"And what would that be?" I asked.

"You want everything to fall into place like a movie script, but sometimes life is more like a soap opera."

I took another long pull from my beer.

"What does someone do when they are in love with two different people?" I asked.

He picked up the rag on the bar and wiped away the condensation ring from my bottle. He stopped and looked at me. "You ask yourself which one of them you can't live without."

How could a dude I met five minutes ago, sum up my life in one question?

I heard a bell chime signaling someone was entering the bar. I looked over, and saw Ranger standing in the doorway. I swallowed the lump in my throat, and looked back at Frank.

He grinned. "I think this night just got a little more interesting. Which one is he, with or without?"


	4. Chapter 4

I posted this again. Thanks to those of you who noticed the NO quotation marks. Somehow they were removed when I downloaded the file. Sorry!

**Ranger Reinstated**

**The Finale**

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I entered the bar against my better judgment. When our eyes met across the smoke filled room, I knew whatever was between us would never be over. As much as I tried to downplay the role she has in my life, she had become the only person I wanted to see at the end of the day.

Everyday.

I walked over and sat down on the stool next to her.

She glanced at me and looked back at the bottle of Corona in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Tracked you on GPS, wanted to check on you." I said.

"So why not send one of the guys?"

"This isn't you Babe." I answered.

"And you know me so well." She snorted.

A bartender walked over to us with a smirk on his face. "You having a drink?"

"No, I'm good." He looked at Stephanie and grinned. "You want another beer Stephanie?"

"Sure, why not?" she grinned back at him. I wanted to smash his face in.

She rotated her stool toward me. "I need time to think, and you're not helping."

"You think way too much."

"And one of your problems is that you think you can snap your fingers like you do at Rangeman and I'm going to say exactly what you want me to say."

"I just want to make sure you get home okay." I said.

"Always the protector." she said.

"You're here because of our conversation." I said.

"I'm here because I want to be."

And I decided to fuck up her life because I couldn't stand the visual of Morelli inside of her.

"If you doubt me, then there's nothing to think about." I said.

"It's not that easy."

"Make it that easy."

She turned toward me, and I could see all the unresolved conflict reflected in her eyes.

"How are we supposed to pretend a conversation never happened?"

"Stephanie I'm not going anywhere. At some point you'll know for sure what you want."

"Tonight you told me if I walked out it was over."

"I thought it was what you wanted to hear."

"So now you're telling me what you think I want to hear?"

"How many times have I told you I wanted us to be together?"

"This was a first."

"Have I ever played you before?"

"No."

"Is it so hard to believe me, when I've told you before that I could make you forget he ever existed?"

"Sexually I believe you could make me forget my own name, the emotional aspect is what concerns me."

I smiled and she leaned toward me. I pulled her into the circle of my arms and held her.

"This has been a long time coming; it's not going to be easy."

"Nothing we ever do together is easy," she said.

I grinned. "I can think of one thing."

She pulled away and looked at me. "What if it's sexual chemistry and nothing else?"

"I think we're old enough to understand the difference between lust and love."

She glanced at the floor, and I placed my fingers on her chin and pulled her gaze back to me.

"I want all of you Babe."

"I'm afraid to believe."

"You're one of the bravest people I know. You'll figure it out." I leaned in and brushed my lips across hers.

She pulled away. "Can you drive me home?"

I stood and threw some bills on the bar. I nodded at the bartender and pulled Stephanie toward the door.

She pulled away from me and leaned across the bar. She touched the bartender's hand and he looked at her and smiled. "Frank, it was nice to meet you."

"Same to you Stephanie." He nodded at me and looked back at her. "So, with or without?"

She grinned and looked at me. "I'm still working on it."

He laughed and moved on to another customer.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and looked down at her as I pulled her toward the door. "What was that about?"

"Frank happens to be a highly trained relationship counselor."

"Oh yeah, so why does he work in a bar?"

"Field research."

"So what advice did he give you?"

I unlocked the door on the Porsche and held it open for her.

"He was mostly on your side."

"Frank's a smart guy."

She snorted, slid inside the car, and looked up at me. "Frank isn't even in a relationship of his own."

"I'm sure it's not because he hasn't tried."

"Do you know Frank?"

I laughed. "No, but a guy just knows these things."

I walked around the car and slid in beside her. She was staring out the windshield. "Frank said I should pick the guy I can't live without."

"You'll live no matter what you decide."

"Why did you confront me at Morelli's?"

I glanced at her as I pulled away from the curb. "It felt like the right time."

"I'm a pain in the ass, how could you want the exposure everyday?"

"Because you're worth it."

I stopped for a red light and she reached over and laced her fingers through mine. I squeezed her hand and looked over at her.

I saw the shimmer of tears in her eyes as she smiled at me.

"I seriously can't live without you."

"What about Morelli?"

She sighed and looked away. "I think he knows that he'll never have all of me."

"I won't settle for less than everything." I said.

She turned to me. "When the time comes, you will have all of me."

"How much time?"

"As much time as it takes. You pushed me away, the least you can do is wait for me to work it out."

I pulled into her lot and parked. I ran my hand through my hair and contemplated the thought of totally losing her. I had to wait on her because of my own stubbornness, but I could honestly say I wasn't ready for this a year ago. For the first time in my life I wanted to tell a woman shit to get what I wanted, but me saying I wanted an us, had to be enough.

"I'll call you." She said.

I looked over at her and something inside of me broke. I pulled her close and kissed her, pouring every bit of need inside of me into her. I pulled away and stared into her eyes.

She leaned in and brushed her lips softly against mine.

"For no regrets."

I smiled and followed the seam of her lips with my tongue, then deepened the kiss until we both had to pull away for a breath.

"I have to do this right. I can't walk away from him without an explanation."

"Explain."

"I have to give this some time, and I can't promise that this is going to end in your favor."

Fair was fair. "No pressure." I said. But, I had every intention of a future full -court -press.

She nodded her head and slipped out of the car. I watched her walk through the night into the building. I put the car in reverse and idled away from the curb. I glanced up and saw her running back across the lawn toward the car. I shifted into park and cut the engine. I caught her against my chest as I stepped out of the car. She trembled in my arms with her face buried in my neck. I knew what she needed without asking.

"I won't tell you to go back to him."

"How did you know…?"

"Babe."

"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

Score.

I smiled as I picked her up and carried her into the building.

**The End**


End file.
